Buffalo Police Department’s Sex Offense Squad opened an investigation over an incident allegedly involving Evander on Dec. 27, according to three police sources that spoke to The Buffalo News. The assault allegedly occurred in a hotel room near the First Niagra Center in downtown Buffalo, where his team, the Buffalo Sabres, play. They also reported that he did not appear at practice on Dec. 27 for “personal reasons,” and his teammates’ interviews were rushed.
Evander Kane: I've done nothing wrong. I look forward to clearing my name.
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) December 28, 2015
Evander is vehemently denying the allegations, of which very little in known, by saying “I’ve done nothing wrong,” on his Twitter on Dec. 28, adding “I look forward to clearing my name.” Currently he has not been arrested, and a police source told the Buffalo News that the investigation is ongoing, saying “we are not naming the suspect, and we do not expect it to be resolved in the very near future.”
The Sabres are not ready to condemn Evander without more evidence, and said in a statement, “We take the allegation made today against Evander Kane very seriously. We are gathering facts and have been in touch with the NHL and Evander’s representatives. Until we have more information we will not have any additional comment.” Meanwhile the NFL said, “we are aware of and monitoring the investigation involving Buffalo Sabres forward Evander Kane. We will have no further comment at this time.”
Evander has been dating model Mara Teigen, who after a brief breakup in Sept. said they were working on things because he’s “a good guy,” according to TMZ. They spent Christmas together, so they’re still going strong in Dec. Evander posted an Instagram picture with her on Dec. 25, just two days before the alleged assault took place. It is unclear if Mara is involved in any way.
What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Is the league doing the right thing by standing by Evander until he is proven guilty? Let us know in the comments below.